


Not Quite Orphaner

by SleepingDragons



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen, contains some violence and blood, in honor of 4/13, stands alone but i might add more, the grub isn't hurt don't worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 08:37:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14304927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepingDragons/pseuds/SleepingDragons
Summary: In which a violet blood orphaner finds himself facing the harsh reality of the title in the form of a small grub staring him in the face.





	Not Quite Orphaner

**Author's Note:**

> Beforus ancestors are so much fun to play with, because you can really imagine whatever you want. Regardless of how Fef runs her empire, Gl’bgolyb still needs to be fed, so orphaners are still needed. But with the difference in culture, the outcome might be very different.

It’s a skyhorse. You normally try your best to avoid those. They’re a small to mid sized lusus and faster than they have any right to be, so it’s easy to justify. Your time is better spent hunting more suitable prey for Gl’bgolyb, but you don’t have a choice tonight. The storm had driven most everything to the deep, or to the shore for the things that are only semi-aquatic. You have no idea why this particular lusus was even out tonight. You don’t want to be out tonight. But Gl’bgolyb must be fed, and so you have no choice. 

The shot from your rifle lights up the area like a bolt of lightning, reflecting off the tumultus waves. The lusus lets out a sound like a cross between a whinny and a scream. It crashes into the water, and you hastily cast out your net before it begins to sink. You haul it onto your ship, your bloodpusher climbing in your throat when you see it’s still alive. Its eyes are wide with fright, and its curling inwards, around its belly. It’s bleeding from the shot, a clearly fatal wound, but you have the sinking suspicion it’s going to take a while. 

You don’t want it to suffer. You pull a knife from the sheath strapped to your thigh and draw near. It lets out another whinny that trails off into whimpering. You force your hands to be steady when you slice at its throat, severing arteries. Violet blood only a few shades off of your own coats your hands for a moment before the rain washes it away. Mercifully, it only takes a moment before the shuddering breaths come to a stop, and the blood slows to a trickle.

You are about to turn away, head back to the helm of your ship, when movement catches your eye. There’s something squirming, underneath the skin of the skyhorse. A parasite? You hope not, that would likely mean you still weren’t done hunting. But then a little horned head pokes out of the pouch in the lusus’ abdomen. You had almost forgot that they had them. You were so small at the time, you hardly remember riding around in the pouch before you outgrew it.

The grub gives a cry when they see the blood, and squirm out of the pouch. They climb up the lusus’ body, nuzzling at the face, headbutting it when it doesn’t respond. They start to cry, big, heaving sobs that shake their whole frame. You should just kill them. A grub that young has no chance of surviving without a lusus. You still have your knife out, it would be easy to put the grub out of their misery. You could even make it painless. Better than starving, surely. 

You pick up the grub, pulling them away from the lusus’ body. They struggle, and you nearly drop them before instinctively pulling them in close to your body, holding them securely. They’re still crying, but now their claws have latched onto the fabric of your coat, clinging tightly. You turn away from the body, they don’t need to see that.

You stand there for what seems like a eternity crammed into a moment, rain pelting down on you, and a sniffling weight in your arms. A flash of lightning makes you jolt. The grub lets out a cry and tries to burrow into your coat. You pry them off of you, holding them out at arm’s length. Your hand shakes as you hold the knife, but you lift it up regardless. The grub is squirming now, but they don’t seem afraid of the blade. They must be too young to recognize what a danger it is, what a danger _you_ are. There’s another bolt of lightning, this time much closer. The sound of thunder follows almost immediately, nearly deafening you. The grub screams again, burying their face in your sleeve and shaking with fright. 

You drop the knife. 

The grub continues to sniffle and cry softly when you pull them back to your chest, but willingly surrenders your sleeve when you open up your coat and tuck them into it. Tiny claws puncture your shirt, poking at your skin as they cling to you. You zip your coat back up, making sure the grub is secure before steering the ship towards Gl’bgolyb’s lair. You make sure the grub can’t see when you push the seahorse overboard. It sinks down, and you know that Gl’bgolyb will take it. She should be satisfied for tonight, and hopefully a few nights after.

The grub squirms against you as you weigh anchor in a small cove, and it hits you what you’ve done. You have a grub now. They won’t survive without care, and you’re the only thing for miles. It’s your responsibility now. This little squirming weight against your chest depends entirely on you.

Does that make you a lusus or a culler?

**Author's Note:**

> obviously culler here would be in the Beforus sense of caring for someone who would be killed on Alternia. I played around with what the protocol would be for dealing with orphaned grubs. At this point in the story, there isn't much of a protocol, and Eridan's quite possibly the first adult troll to raise a grub on his own, and certainly the first non-jade blood to have a role in their care.
> 
> I might potentially continue this, either as more chapters or as a series. At the very least, it would feature a clueless Eridan trying to figure out how to be a dad. Might also feature other characters
> 
> I have a tumblr at http://moonlightcrazyphoenix.tumblr.com/ So hit me up if you wanna talk about this fic or anything else I've written. I love questions. If you just wanna scream a headcanon into my inbox, go right ahead!


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